Fear's Injustice
by Yuja
Summary: In a time when Adepts are feared, the grandson of the mayor will make an unlikely friend. Now, two worlds will collide, traditions will be questioned, and loyalties will be tested. AU, some GaretJenna hints. Ch 6: This is why Adepts don't stand trial.
1. Theft

Yay! I'm actually writing a story that's not centered around Isaac or Felix! I know "The New Kid" isn't finished…and I haven't updated "Star of Venus" in over 2 years…and I know I said I probably wouldn't post any other fanfics until I was at least close to finishing TNK…

Jenna: -.- In other words, she's going against all of that.

Yuja: Um…yeah…well, I…you see…I kinda…I thought...

Isaac: To speed things up, Yuja is basically saying that she should maybe go ahead and start posting her other stories to show that she isn't being completely lazy when she's not updating TNK.

Yuja: n-n;; Um, yeah, I guess that sums it up.

Longer summary: AU. Garet is the grandson of Vale's mayor and, being older than his brother, will one day take his place as the head of the town's leading family. But when Garet has a chance encounter with an Adept, a race of people that are seen as evil beings and bad omens, everything Garet has ever learned will be thrown into question, and he will have to choose between doing what is right and doing what is expected of him.

Disclaimer: Me no own Golden Sun. 'Nuff said.

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Chapter 1

It was a beautiful, calm morning in the town of Vale. Fall was finally arriving, and a fine mist had fallen down from the slope of Mount Aleph to settle among the many houses and other structures. The only creatures stirring at such an early hour were a few cats returning home after a night's hunt and the occasional dog that raised its head to watch the felines pass, unable to give chase due to the rope that held it back.

All seemed quiet at the Jerra house as well, the home to Vale's leading family. Mayor Jerra had ruled the town since his father had resigned, and would one day pass his authority down to his own son. His son, Mr. Jerra, was married with three children. The daughter, Kay, was the oldest of the three at 19 years of age. Garet, Mr. Jerra's first-born son, followed Kay by two years. The youngest of the siblings, Aaron, was 12. Garet, being the first-born son in his generation, would one day inherit the position from his father as the leader of Vale. That was, of course, assuming he lived to see the day…

"GARET, YOU -- ARE -- DEAD!"

Garet rolled over so he wasn't facing his door anymore and pulled his bed covers a little closer to him. He barely had time to finish getting still and start his fake snore before Kay was barging into his room, absolutely furious.

"Don't think you can fool me. I _know_ you're awake!"

Garet pretended to still be sleeping, which didn't seem to work, considering how there was no earthly way anyone could ever sleep through all of Kay's shouting.

Kay growled in her throat. "Get _up_!" She smacked the back of his head with the back of her hand.

Garet jumped and sat up, rubbing his now sore head. "OW! Hey, what's the deal!"

"Oh, like you don't _know_." Garet put on the blankest expression he could manage at the moment, which also seemed like another bad choice as his sister went into another rage.

"Did you _think_ I wouldn't find out? I wake up this morning and look out the window and the _first thing_ - FIRST THING! - that I see is my flower garden. And do you know what I saw?"

"Um, you saw flowers?" he answered hopefully. Again, this only made Kay madder. He was making a bad habit of this.

"NO! All I saw was a bunch of crushed plants that now I'm going to have to wait half a year before I can replant them! And don't play dumb with me. I know you did it!"

"Why's it always gotta be me that does it? Why couldn't it be Aaron who gets yelled at for once?"

"Because if Aaron had done it, he would've told me and _apologized_!" If a look could peel paint off walls, then the look Garet was getting would've cleared every wall in Weyward. And the poisonous tone of voice the future would-be-mayor was getting would make any grown man quake, which explained why Garet was almost cowering under his covers again.

"Then maybe a dog did it."

"THERE'S A _FENCE_ AROUND IT! And they weren't dug up, THEY WERE TRAMPLED!"

"Okay! I'm sorry about the plants! But just for the record, it wasn't my fault."

"I DON'T CARE WHOSE FAULT IT WAS! YOU STILL KILLED MY FLOWERS!"

"Kay! Just what is with all the yelling? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Sorry Mom, but Garet destroyed my flower garden _again_!" She pointed accusingly at her younger brother with one finger, the other hand on her hip.

"Garet! How many times do we have to tell you-"

"It wasn't my fault!"

"Then whose was it?"

"Um, well, er-"

Mrs. Jerra sighed and shook her head. "Garet, you are only a few months away from your eighteenth birthday. You can't keep doing these things. You have to start showing some responsibility."

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"You? Show responsibility?" Jenna tried to stay serious as Garet told her what all had transpired that morning, but she was finding it harder to do by the second. "She actually expects _you_ to be _responsible_?" The corners of her mouth began to twitch slightly.

Garet crossed his arms and frowned at his friend indignantly. "Yes. Is it that so hard to believe?"

Jenna couldn't hold back anymore and finally broke out in fits of laughter. "_Yes_!" She barely got out the one word before she started again, almost falling over from laughing so hard and having to grab Garet's arm for support.

Jenna was Garet's childhood friend and younger than him by only a few months. The river that ran through Vale and past the Jerra house went over a sharp drop, and Jenna's family lived near the base of the resulting waterfall. Her older brother, Felix, worked as the gardener for the Jerra family and various other families in Vale, and Jenna usually tagged along with him and spent the day with Garet.

Garet looked away, trying to seem mad with her. "Har har. It's not that funny!"

"Yes it is!" More laughter. Now she really was starting to annoy him. He waited for her to finish. "Phew! That was a good one." She wiped away a tear from her eye. "I swear Garet, if laughter really is the best medicine, then I don't think I'll ever have to worry about getting sick as long as you're around."

Garet acted like she had just taken a machete to his feelings. "At least I'm good at one thing."

"Oh, give yourself some credit. When you take over for your dad, I'm sure you'll do just fine as Vale's leader. And if the people are ever down, all you have to do is be yourself."

Garet rolled his eyes. "Go ahead. Laugh. I know you want to."

Jenna stood still for a moment, fighting to keep her mouth straight but failing miserably as she started laughing uncontrollably yet again.

"Jenna, just what is so funny?"

Jenna finally got a hold of herself and looked up at her brother, still grinning broadly. "Are you done for today?" Felix nodded. "Then I can tell you on the way home." She locked one arm with Felix's and waved back at her friend. "See you later, Garet. Good luck with your sister." Garet could still hear her giggling as they disappeared between the other houses.

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"Remind me again why I had to come with you."

"Because it's your fault I had to come in the first place."

"But if they're your plants, then why do I have to pay for them?

"Because Mom said so. Look at it this way, little brother: You break it, you buy it."

"Just get your plants so we can go back."

"Gladly. But don't forget Garet. You're the son of a Jerra, so _try_ to act smart while we're here."

"Just what are you trying to say? First Jenna gives me a hard time, now you. When do I get a break?"

"Jenna came today?" Garet nodded. "I thought I spotted Felix outside earlier. So, just how good of friends are you and Jenna, anyway?" Kay grinned slightly.

Garet looked over at his sister. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, is she going to be the next 'Mrs. Jerra'?"

"What? That's crazy."

"But you two spend an awful lot of time together."

"That's crazy talk, Kay. Jenna and I are just friends, nothing more."

Kay sighed. "If you say so."

"It's not like I couldn't say a few things about you and Felix," Garet teased with a mischievous grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Garet most likely would've argued more if they hadn't arrive at the market right then. Kay led the way to the stand that sold packets of seed for all kinds of plants from simple flowers to fresh vegetables.

Kay made her selection, asked for the price, then turned to her brother who had been sulking behind her with his hands in his pockets. "You heard the price, Garet. Now pay the nice man." She had an amused grin, and Garet wondered if it hurt her mouth to keep from turning into a grin like a cat's.

Garet grumbled as he took his money pouch from his belt and started counting the coins. "How much again?"

"200 Coins, please."

Garet almost fell over. "200! Kay, just how much are you buying!"

Kay couldn't help but laugh. "You're the one who ruined my garden. Now take it like a man and make up for it, starting with paying for my new garden."

"Do the words 'cruel and unusual' mean anything to you?" He started pulling out coins with higher values. "How much do you need to buy for one garden?"

"Just do it, Garet. Besides, I need extra for when you do this again." Garet grumbled some more, but finally counted out enough coins and passed them to the merchant.

"Thank you. Have a nice day."

"Garet, help me carry these."

Garet reached around to retie his money pouch to his belt, staring down at the purchase and trying to think of how he was going to do this. He wasn't watching as he tied the bag, not needing to after so many years, and suddenly felt a tug and the bag was gone.

"What the-?" He looked down. No bag. Spinning around, he saw a man running off through the crowds, Garet's money pouch clutched tightly in one hand. "Hey! He stole my money!" Several people stopped what they were doing to see what was happening. "Kay, wait here," he ordered before taking off after the thief.

"What? Garet? Garet!" But her brother couldn't hear her anymore.

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Garet chased after the thief, trying to be careful as he moved people aside. "Sorry. Excuse me. Excuse me. Sorry." It wasn't too hard. The thief had already shoved most of the people out of his way.

"Stop! Thief!" It seemed as though everyone in the market was watching now as he passed. After all, who in their right mind would try to rob the mayor's grandson? "Stop that man!" A few bystanders farther along the rows of booths heard him and tried to see what was coming, but none could respond quick enough to stop the bandit as he sprinted by. Any person that did get in his way ended up in a nearby pile of fruits or hay.

Garet was growing weary and began to slow. Finally, the bandit slipped down an alleyway between two buildings, Garet following as quickly as his legs would allow. He chased the thief to the end of the alley, where the criminal turned right, then bolted out of sight to the left. Garet turned down the last alleyway as well, but skidded to a halt at the end. Right or left? Either way, the new path branched off in many places, so there was no way of telling which way the thief had gone.

Garet pounded a fist against the wall before him. "Darn it!" How was he going to explain this one to his parents? At least he had already paid for Kay's purchases. Now that he had stopped running, his adrenaline level was dropping, and he was starting to feel all the aches and pains of running for so long and hard. He really needed to get back in shape.

He finally pulled back from the wall to return to his sister when he saw a flash of golden light come from an alley to the right and heard a strangled cry. Garet hurried in that direction and, rounding the corner, was almost run over by the bandit who now looked absolutely terrified.

"Fine! Take it! Just don't hurt me!" the bandit called over his shoulder as he ran. Confused, Garet watched the fleeing criminal, then looked along the alleyway he had just entered.

The sight of a person Garet hadn't noticed before made him jump back in surprise. It was a young man that looked about the same age as Garet, only slightly shorter like Jenna. He had messy golden hair that stood up at odd angles, and his deep blue eyes seemed almost to see straight into Garet's soul. He was dressed simply enough in a blue tunic and matching blue pants. His boots, gloves, and belt were light brown, and around his neck he wore a yellow scarf.

Garet studied the newcomer, not sure what to do. Was this person good, or was he simply another robber that had just robbed the first robber? If it was the second scenario, there certainly was a lot of robbing today. But the question was answered when the stranger held out the moneybag to Garet and motioned for him to take it.

Garet slowly walked up to the person and accepted the purse. "Um, thanks." The stranger simply nodded wordlessly. "I don't think I've ever seen you around Vale before. I'm Garet Jerra. What's your name?"

The stranger bit his bottom lip slightly and stepped back. There was the sound of footsteps approaching from the direction of the market.

"Garet? Garet, where are you?" called his sister's voice.

Garet turned to the sound. "Hey Kay! I'm over here!" He turned back around. "Thanks a-," he stopped short, "…again?" The person was gone, leaving no sign of him ever being in the area.

Kay almost ran past the alley Garet was in, but slid to a stop and came back, closely followed by two men Garet recognized as the owners of the weapons and armor shop. "Garet! Garet, are you all right?" She ran to her brother and put her hands on his shoulders, looking him over for any sign of injury before nearly strangling him with a hug.

"Take it easy, Sis! I'm fine!"

"Garet, where'd the thief go?" asked Mr. Pullman, the weapons smith.

"He's long gone, sir. But I did get my money back." Garet held up the small bag as proof.

"Garet, don't you _ever_ scare me like that again," ordered Kay, still somewhat frantic. "Mom and Dad would have my _head_ if anything happened to you."

"Don't worry, Sis. I don't plan on it."

"Your sister says you two have a lot to carry home. We have a cart back at the shop you can use," offered Mr. Carlson, the armor craftsman. "You can return it tomorrow if you want."

"Thank you sir," said Kay with a polite bow of the head. "Come on Garet."

As they made their way back through the labyrinth of back streets, Kay dragging Garet by the sleeve and complaining about how he shouldn't scare her or run after thieves on his own like that, Garet looked back to where the strange person had been. Who was he? Garet didn't recognize him at all. They finally left the maze, no one noticing the pair of blue eyes on a nearby rooftop that watched them go.

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Yuja: (running) AHH! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Jenna: (in hot pursuit) WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA OF STARTING ANOTHER STORY WHEN YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE ONES YOU'VE ALREADY STARTED YET?

Garet: -.- Do you think we should help her out?

Isaac: -.- And get in Jenna's way? You've got to be joking.


	2. Truth

Chapter 2

Yuja: First on the to-do list is _very_ important. This story needs a title. The one it's got right now, "Fear's Injustice," was just something I thought up after I uploaded it with the dull title "The Mayor's Grandson," which had absolutely nothing to do with the main plot of this story as far as I could see. Therefore, if anyone has any possible title ideas, it would be _highly_ appreciated if they were put either in a review or e-mailed to me.

Isaac: In other words, Yuja is terrible at coming up with original titles and OC names.

Yuja: …Well, you didn't have to put it that way… Anyhow, thanks to the four people who reviewed.

**Review Responses**

Dracobolt -- So you're a Garet fan, huh? Cool, 'cause this is the first time I've even considered writing a fic not based on Isaac or Felix. I like the saying at the end of your reviews. I don't think the blocks are going to get me for a while with this story.

Writer's Blocks: (have been laced with catnip and are too busy hiding from Smudge the cat)

Fjord Cannon -- Thanks for that. Now I can get back to working on ch. 3.

Jenna: (dripping wet) …

savinglifelessness -- The guy who got back the money? n-n There's a reason why I put responses at the start of the chapter this time. "Hopin"? Good grief! I didn't think I was too bad at updating… Star being ignored for the sake of argument. ;-P

Sorceress Sakura -- How's this for "soon?" Don't worry, I know what you and everyone else seems to be thinking, but this story isn't going to end up like "Star of Venus" has…which, honestly, was pretty pathetic on my part…

Yuja: And now to the story.

Jenna: Yuja doesn't own Golden Sun. If she did, I would've sued her for muse abuse.

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"So, how'd you do it? That thief must've not been very strong if you could beat him so easily."

Garet crossed his arms defiantly. "And just what's that supposed to mean?"

Jenna couldn't hold back a short giggle. "Just as it sounds. Besides, you're not the type to use violence if it can be helped."

Garet sighed, his arms dropping back to his side as he leaned against the stone wall. "I guess you're right."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "What happened?" She sounded almost bored, but the look on her face showed she was actually quite amused.

"Huh?"

Jenna put her hands on her hips. "Well? What really happened? Everyone thinks you drove off that thief and retrieved your money single-handedly. But that's not the full story, is it?"

Garet groaned and looked away. "How could you tell?" He kicked a pebble gently with his shoe.

"Oh, for crying out loud Garet. Everything about you right now screams 'guilty!' You had help, didn't you? And now you feel guilty because everyone's giving you all the credit. Am I right?"

"As usual."

"So who was it then?"

"I…don't know."

Jenna leaned against the wall next to him. "What did the person look like then? If the grandson of the mayor doesn't know them, then maybe I know them."

"Well, he was about your height…with spiky blond hair and…I pretty sure he had blue eyes, 'cause his stare was kinda unnerving. He wore mostly blue, except for a yellow scarf. Beats me why he was wearing a scarf. It's not that cold out yet."

Jenna's light smile vanished as Garet continued to muse over why someone would be wearing a scarf. "Are you sure that's what you saw?" Garet nodded. "Garet, have you told anyone else this?" Garet shook his head. "Good. Don't. Do you have any idea who that person was?"

"I get the feeling I'm about to find out," said Garet, deciding that maybe the scarf wasn't so important.

Jenna glanced around as though to confirm that they were still alone. "Promise me you won't tell."

"Um, okay." Jenna glared up at him. "Okay! I promise!"

Jenna took a deep breath. "Where do I begin? To put it simply, that person you met, people say he's an Adept."

"He's a _what_?" said Garet a little too loudly.

Jenna hit him in the arm, the strength in her punch fully intentional. "Shush! Calm down already. I'm just saying…what I've heard," she added quickly.

Garet massaged his arm. "But what makes people say that guy's an Adept?"

"Both of his parents died in a flood over a dozen years ago. He was the only survivor. His family was already under suspicion for Adept connections. It's said they were attempting to leave Vale when the flood caught them."

"I still don't see how that makes him an Adept."

Jenna's glare silenced him again. "I'm getting to that part. When he was found the next day, he was in a tree. And here's the freaky part. The branches of the tree actually seemed to be wrapping around him! That's what kept him warm through the night. When he finally regained consciousness, though, his throat was so damaged that he had almost completely lost the ability to speak or make any noise. Not that he was very willing to talk, anyway. Eventually, he stopped making sounds all together. Then evidence was found that he had at least one blood ancestor that had been an Adept, or least had shown the traits. That meant that he too had Adept blood in him. He was exiled soon after."

Garet stared at Jenna. "You mean I-I _talked_ to an _Adept_!" Garet brought a hand to his head. How would he explain this one? Since before he could remember, Adepts had been the source of blame for nearly every tragedy and disagreement in Weyard. Garet remembered when he was eight-years old how there had been a mass persecution of Adepts. Hundreds of people were arrested, with their families, and all were exiled, ran away, or took on knew identities as non-Adepts in distant lands. Or, at least, those that survived did.

Jenna was staring straight into his face. "Now do you see why you can't tell? If people found out that an Adept helped you get back that money, well, I don't want to think of what would happen."

Garet looked away. "You're right. It could ruin the family. And all because I couldn't stop a simple thief on my own." He turned around and pounded a fist on the wall. "I just keep messing up!"

"Don't worry, Garet. I swear I won't tell anyone. Just promise me for sure that you won't tell anyone anything about that kid."

"But, if there's an Adept in Vale, I have to report it. It's my duty as a member of the Mayor's family!" He started moving towards the entrance of his house.

Jenna grabbed his arm. "No! Garet, you can't!"

"Why not?"

"Just because someone's an Adept, doesn't mean that person's completely bad."

"Jenna, what are you-"

"Just think about it! Did he _seem_ like any sort of threat when you saw him?"

"Well, no, but-"

"And if he was such a terrible villain, do you really _think_ he would've given you back your money when he could've made an easy get away?"

"I-I guess not."

"And don't you owe him for getting your money back?"

"I-I guess so."

"Then you can't turn him in."

"But…he's an _Adept_."

"Your point? What if it turned out that I was an Adept? Would you turn me in, too?" Jenna crossed her arms and stared at him, and Garet knew the argument was settled.

"No."

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One week passed, and Garet and Jenna said nothing more about the incident. Garet kept his promise and told no one about the Adept he had met in the alleyway, but the memory wouldn't leave his mind. Little did he know that their paths would soon cross again. In the meantime, however, Garet had bigger things to worry about.

"How about this one?"

"I don't know, Kay. It has an awful lot of green in it. I don't think your brother would like it very much," said Mrs. Jerra, looking at the drawing in the catalog.

"Well, that was kinda the point."

"Don't I get a say in what I wear to my own birthday?"

"No."

Aaron looked up from the miniature fort he was building from a pile of wooden blocks. "Don't worry, Garet. One day, you're going to be the mayor, so they can only do so much."

Kay pointed to another drawing in the book. "How about that one?"

"Kay, dear, your brother is not wearing pink and purple to his eighteenth birthday."

Garet looked down at his little brother. "Why do I not feel comforted?" Aaron just shrugged with a smile and returned to his blocks. Garet groaned as Kay suggested an even more embarrassing outfit. From the sounds of it, this one had ribbons. "I'm going out. Let me know when the torture's over."

Aaron didn't look up this time when he answered. "Knowing Kay and Mom, you might never want to come back."

Garet left the house and started down the path towards the plaza before changing directions and heading for Dr. Kraden's house. The scientist had left for Tolbi a few weeks earlier, so the house would stand vacant until his return the next month. Garet leaned against the side of the house and waited. Soon enough, the door opened and Jenna emerged, locking the door before closing it behind her.

"So your brother does yard work, and you clean the professor's humble abode. Meanwhile, I get tortured about one day becoming the mayor of this crazy place. Could you help me out, 'cause I don't see where this counts as fair?"

Jenna smiled as she walked by, Garet falling into step alongside her. "Sorry Garet. I would trade jobs with you, but something tells me that your dad and grandpa might not approve."

"And knowing how good I am with cleaning, I might be able to last two days before the Doc would have me fired, assuming he was away for two days."

"If that. He'd probably be back before sundown just to make sure his house was still standing. I have to pick up some things at the plaza. Want to come along?"

Garet shrugged. "Why not? I'm not planning on going home anytime soon. Kay was having a little too much fun looking through clothing books for my birthday uniform."

"She found the pink and purple one, huh? Sorry, Garet. Mom wouldn't have designed it if Mrs. Carlson hadn't requested it."

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The two left the marketplace an hour later, Garet carrying the two large bags that were the result of Jenna's shopping.

"Thanks, Garet, but I can carry those from here," said Jenna when they came to a crossroads. "I need to drop some of this off at Kraden's house."

"That's okay. I can still carry it for you."

"But I'm sure your family is going to want you home soon. You don't want your dad to come looking for you again, do you?"

Garet shrugged. "Let them look. It's not like I'm robbing a store or anything."

"That's okay, Garet. I can help her from here." Garet turned around to find Felix standing behind him.

"Hey there Felix! Haven't seen you all day."

"I've been busy." He took one of the bags as Jenna took the other.

"Then I guess this means I don't have an excuse for being late anymore. See ya tomorrow if Mom and Kay don't torture me with too many bad outfits." They all said their good-byes and waved as Garet turned down the path that led to his house.

Felix waited for Garet to be out of sight before he took another path. "Come on. I need some help." Jenna nodded and followed.

Garet walked along the trail, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He hadn't gone far around the corner before his fingers had made contact with a slim rectangular box about four inches long that Jenna had bought. He had put it in his pocket so she wouldn't have to worry about it breaking, and of course he had promptly forgotten it. "Looks like I've got an excuse after all." He grinned as he spun around and hurried back the way he had come.

When he came to the corner, Garet stopped. The crossroads was in sight, but Felix and Jenna weren't on the path that led to their house or Kraden's. "Where are they going?"

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Felix led the way into the small passageway that was well hidden behind a wall of overgrown ivy vines, and the fact that it was in a remote forested area on the edge of the village made it all the more easy to hide. Jenna slipped through with her bag as Felix held back the overgrowth for her and they walked quietly along the corridor. As they neared the last turn and the end, the floor gradually became more level and less rocky, reflecting the dim illumination of lanterns. There was a rustling sound and a shadow passed the light source, blotting out the light for a fraction of a second before disappearing.

Jenna was the first to turn the corner and enter the small room at the end. "It's okay. It's just us." There was more movement and a figure slowly emerged.

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Garet edged his way along the tunnel. He had wasted at least a minute or so just searching for the entrance after the two siblings had vanished. If he had gotten there sooner, he would've seen how Felix had made the vines look like limp noodles compared to how tight and thick they were when Garet tried to move them, almost as though the vines were _trying_ to keep him out.

The sound of voices made Garet slow down a little more, and he was finally able to understand what was being said as he came to another corner and stopped. The first voice he recognized as Jenna's

"And I didn't get as much bread this time, considering how you didn't finish the last loaf quick enough. Not that I blame you. It was a lot for one person."

There was a short silence, as though waiting for a reply, before Felix could be heard as well. "Still, you don't have to rush to eat it in time, and you don't have to eat around the mold just to save us a little money. It's cheaper to buy new food than to buy medicine because you gave yourself food poisoning."

Another silence. Garet couldn't understand why the two would be talking about food supplies to each other like this. As the conversation carried on, along with frequent spells of silence, Garet became dimly aware of the presence of a third person moving around. He finally risked a peek around the rock wall, and almost fell over when he recognized the third party member sitting on a wooden bench. It was him, still fully clad in blue clothes, yellow scarf, and messy blond hair: the Adept from the alley who had retrieved his money pouch.

Jenna continued to rummage through the sacks she was kneeling beside, sometimes pulling out items that the Adept would take and put on a shelf or in a cabinet that had somehow been attached to the stone of the cavern. Felix's work, most likely. "And I noticed there was a tear in your scarf, so I brought some sewing thread to patch that up." Felix sat on another bench, silently cutting away at a small block of wood he held in his hand. "Just how did you get that tear anyways, Isaac? You weren't going into town again, were you?" The Adept, Isaac paused while closing a cabinet before moving on. Jenna put a hand on her hip. "You were, weren't you?"

Isaac turned around, but didn't make eye contact as he played with the end of his scarf before Felix came to his rescue. "You can't be too mad, Jenna. I doubt that living your entire life in a cave for fear of being seen is anywhere close to being a desirable, lifelong aspiration." Isaac smiled gratefully. "Still, you need to be more careful. You may be an Adept, but I don't see you as the type to use your Psynergy to fend of a mob of angry villagers." Smile gone.

"He's right," added Jenna. "I almost didn't make it to Garet in time to stop him from telling about you." Isaac looked at her puzzled. "The guy that was robbed in the marketplace whose money you got back. The fact that the thief got away makes me nervous, but the mayor's grandson!" Jenna shook her head. "It doesn't get any more risky, unless it had been the mayor himself." She looked back at Isaac, who was now playing with both ends of his scarf. She stood and faced him. "That's the problem though. You're--too--nice. Sure, I'm grateful that you helped Garet, but at least two people have seen you now. Garet's promised not to tell, but what about the thief? You used your _Psynergy_ to stop him. What if he comes forward?"

"I doubt it." All eyes fell on Felix, who continued to carve as though this was a daily conversation. "If the thief were to come forward, that would mean admitting that he was the thief, which would mean jail time. As for Garet, he is the Mayor's grandson. I would be more worried about him than the thief. I know you want to trust him, Jenna," he added, cutting off his sister as she opened her mouth, "but it's a decision between friends and family."

Jenna stood over her brother and glared down at him. "Garet--won't--tell."

There was a moment of silence in which the siblings seemed to be starring the other down. Finally, Felix returned to his carving. "If you say so. That family tends to put the laws first in everything, but you know him better than I do."

Jenna crossed her arms and sighed before deciding to change the topic. "Just what are you carving, anyway?"

"Something."

Jenna cocked an eyebrow as she studied her brother, then clapped her hands in excitement. "That reminds me!" She hurried back to the shopping bags and starting shifting through them. "I got something for you, Isaac. Since your last whistle was broken, I thought you might like a replacement." Isaac's face seemed to light up at the idea, and he moved closer. "Hold on. I know I picked it up, so where is it?" She finished moving things aside in the second bag. "Darn. I gave it to Garet to hold on to so it wouldn't get lost or broken. Sorry, Isaac. I'll have to get it back for you tomorrow."

"Why put off until tomorrow what you can do tonight?" The eavesdropper emerged from his hiding place.

Jenna gasped. "Garet!" The siblings were on their feet in an instant, and Isaac looked ready to have a heart attack. No one moved for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Garet carefully pulled the box from his pocket.

"Sorry, Jenna. I should've given it to you back at the crossroads." He gently set the box on a nearby shelf and, not sure what else to do, turned to leave.

"Garet, wait." Jenna began to follow.

Garet paused. "Don't worry." He looked back at Isaac, who was still standing stiffly. "Consider it as payment for helping me."

"Garet!"

"Forget it, Jenna." He kept going.

"G-Garet, you-you-_you_ _jerk_!" A hard object made contact with the back of Garet's head.

Garet spun around. "What was that fo-!" The mayor-to-be bit his tongue. There were tears in Jenna's eyes. Angry tears. A bad combination with a girl like Jenna. "J-Jenna, I-I didn't mean to-!"

"You think you can just sneak in here, discover everything we've tried so hard to hide and protect, and then _leave_!"

Garet flinched. He hated it when girls cried, especially Jenna. Felix calmly sat back down. "If he wants to go, Jenna, let him. There's nothing we can do to stop him."

Jenna struggled for something to say. When she couldn't, she crossed her arms and moved to the farthest corner of the room from the door, her back to Garet. Isaac instead took the chance to come forward. He stood back from Garet and seemed to watch him.

Garet shifted uneasily. "I won't tell." Isaac nodded and reached out his right hand. Garet hesitated at first, then future-mayor and Adept shook hands, and the promise was sealed.

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Yuja: And that's it for chapter 2. I already have the first page of 3 done. The only reason I stopped writing after the first page was because the clock said 2:58 and I wanted to truthfully tell Dad that I had gone to bed before 3 in the morning. n-n;; A bit of forewarning: there may be some hints at Garet/Jenna throughout this story.

Garet: Hints? You call those "hints"!

Yuja: n-n;; It's not too bad. I promise that there will be no fluff. I may be a girl, but fluff and romance just isn't my thing when it comes to my writing. After all, my friends know my penname and I would never hear the end of it if I wrote romance.

Before anyone starts asking, I'm still editing chapter 15 for TNK, but the beginning of the chapter seems kind of…off…so it might need some redoing.


	3. Trust

Chapter 3

Yuja: OK. Here's chapter 3. And for the record, it didn't wait 2 years like Star of Venus has.

Isaac: Which isn't saying much for future chapters.

Yuja: You really have a death wish, don't you?

**Dracobolt** – I'm thinking this is the chapter where the real Garet/Jenna begins. One warning for Garet: beware the older brother.

**Sorceress Sakura** – Thanks for e-mailing that title idea. I agree that "Choices" isn't the best title, but it does give me more to work with.

**Fjord Cannon** – n.n; You guys really aren't going to give me a break until I start working on SoV again, are you? Don't worry, I will finish TNK. My cousins have been visiting for the past two weeks, so I just haven't been able to write much.

**fuzzy blob of doom** – Are the others Adepts too? That's a good question. I know the answer to that, but now that it's been asked, I'm not telling. The story will just have to do the talking.

Isaac: In other words, she's got an idea of what she wants, but she's still debating on how this story should end.

Yuja: You know, sometimes I wonder why I hired you as a muse.

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun. Happy? Good. And, yes, I am stalling at making up first names for the adult Jerras and other characters in this story.

(OMG! This quick edit thing on the site is actually letting me keep my dash breaks again! But it won't let me do double "!")

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Despite the laws of the village, Garet kept his word, and Isaac's presence remained unknown to the public. Garet and Jenna eventually worked out their differences after more than a week of Felix's nagging and Isaac's less than innocent actions that just _happened_ to force the two to be near each other. To further prove his sincerity, Garet began helping to buy food and other items for Isaac and his home, sometimes slipping off to the cave with the finer treats that were the advantage of being the Mayor's grandson. Foreign candies, cheese, bread, and silk were only a few of the rewards.

However, no matter how well the young future leader befriended the Adept, the fact remained that Garet was the grandson of the Mayor of Vale, and he would one day inherit the position of power from his own father. Garet was already beginning to realize the responsibilities he would bear as mayor, and one such burden was upholding the laws.

Shortly after Garet's discovery of Isaac, Mayor Jerra had begun to summon Garet to be more and more involved in several business and political affairs. Whenever a foreign leader or representative visited, Garet was expected to be present at any and all meetings, instructed to take mental notes of how to handle different situations. Mr. Jerra, Garet's father, was also attending the meetings as he had since his coming of age, and would often give his son extra advice if Garet seemed somewhat confused after a conference.

When merchant caravans would pass through, the owner would always offer a full array of samples to the Mayor and his family, a polite gesture in any village or town. It was from the sample cases that Garet could easily take bits and pieces of fine quality goods to his friends, though he could not fully get over the sense of guilt in betraying his own family and people. Though Isaac could not talk and relied almost completely on pen and paper for communication, Garet felt as though the Adept realized Garet's unease and sacrifice with every visit.

Almost three weeks later, Garet's nerves had begun to ease, and he began to thoroughly enjoy himself during visits to Isaac's cave. The vines no longer hindered him, and he wondered if Isaac's Psynergy, which he had since learned to be of Venus origins, somehow made the overgrowth repel potential enemies. Only once had Garet entered the cavern to find Jenna lecturing Isaac about venturing too far from his cave. Apparently, he had snuck into marketplace again, though no one could really be certain of why he continued to take such risks. Felix assumed it was due to restlessness caused by living in a cave away from civilization. Garet still felt the pains of keeping such a secret from his family, but the anxiety had dulled to a mere annoyance. That is, until a new foreign representative arrived.

It was a dreary day, and Garet had once again survived his sister's ranting, though he now owed her a new fence segment. How was he supposed to know the board he had been leaning on was not only coming loose, but was rotting where some termites had found a way inside? That fall backwards into a pile of splintered wood hadn't felt exactly pleasant on his behalf, yet he was the one being fined as usual. Around noon, word arrived of an approaching carriage that bore the Mayor of Madra and his father.

Madra's Mayor was a young man in his middle to late twenties, being the grandson of the previous mayor, a withering man who also accompanied him and now carried the title of Madra's Elder. The position of power had skipped a generation when the elder mayor failed to have a son of his own, and so the title fell straight to his oldest daughter's son. Kay, fulfilling her duty as the granddaughter of the Mayor of Vale, greeted the guests with her mother, leading them into the room that was reserved for such meetings before rushing off for refreshments.

"Gentlemen!" exclaimed Mayor Jerra as he entered the room. It was amazing how quickly his demeanor changed from casual around his family to formal around others. "Welcome to Vale. I hope your travels were not too uncomfortable in this foul weather. Please, be seated. My house is yours for however long you should stay, so please, make yourselves comfortable."

"This is paradise compared to the storms we have endured since leaving Madra," replied the Mayor of Madra as the men were seated. Apparently this mayor had the same talent for formal discussion. The two mayors sat opposite to each other in the larger center chairs. Mr. Jerra sat to Mayor Jerra's left, across from Madra's Elder, and Garet sat to his father's left.

Kay returned carrying a tray of five glasses and a pitcher of water. Once she had gone to each seat, filling a glass and placing it beside the chair's occupant, she left the pitcher near her grandfather and took her seat near the door at the end of the room. Though he had seen this happen before, Garet watched his sister, noticing how uncharacteristically silent she was and knowing that his mother was sitting similarly just outside of the closed door.

No matter how many times he watched this, Garet felt an odd sensation each time, though he never knew how to explain it. Part of him seemed to be in awe that Kay could carry out the task so dutifully, and part seemed to be shocked that _Kay_ _would_ carry out the task so dutifully, without complaint of being reduced almost to a mere servant in her own house. Garet shook off the feeling, dismissing it as the result of spending too much time around rowdy girls such as Kay and Jenna, yet he couldn't imagine Jenna waiting on a bunch of men and sitting silently in a corner, almost forgotten, until called on again. If Jenna were ever to marry a man who expected such behavior from her, Garet could already see Felix tearing after his brother-in-law in a heated rage. Not a pretty image.

"Well, gentlemen, I know you are surely fatigued after such a journey," began Mayor Jerra, "so if you insist on holding assembly so soon, I am sure you wish to get this whole affair over with so you may retire for the evening."

"You always had a knack for getting straight to the point, Jerra," said the Elder with a grin. "It has been too long since we last met. Unfortunately, we meet now on the same issues that plagued us back then."

"It has been recently brought to our attention of the possible threat of Adepts to the citizens of Madra," stated the young mayor. "Several disasters have befallen our town this year. Fishing yields have rapidly decreased, farming has proven worthless, and the bridge connecting Indra with Osenia has been destroyed, halting the trade caravans from Alhafra. Needless to say, our economy has greatly suffered. Three people have already been charged of Adept heritage and possible signs of Psynergy. However, as you know, non-Adepts are unable to see raw Psynergy, so without proper evidence I am afraid we are simply performing a superstitious witch hunt."

Mayor Jerra listened intently to the news. It had been many years indeed since the last conviction of an Adept, and superstition always seemed to play a powerful hand in such matters. Garet resisted the urge to squirm in his chair, though his mind continued to drift to a small cavern hidden behind thick vines and down a long tunnel.

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More than two hours later, the five men emerged from the conference room, Mayor Jerra having decided that his guests should have a filling meal before continuing the meeting that evening. Garet hesitated when following the adults out of the room, watching as Kay waited for the four older men to exit before moving forward and gathering the five glasses again. Typical Kay; she never waited around for her little brother before getting to work. While the visitors were directed towards the dining room and Mrs. Jerra hurried for the kitchens, Garet used the chance to slip away and out of the house.

"It's about time you got out of there," came a voice to his left. Looking around he saw Jenna leaning against the house a short distance away. "What's Madra want? It must be important for both mayor and elder to travel all this way."

Garet looked away, unable to make eye contact with his friend after all he had heard in the meeting. _Adepts are nothing but an abomination on Weyard that must be dealt with promptly and swiftly. We cannot afford another uprising._ Madra's Elder had said that, and Garet could not forget the determined way in which his own father and grandfather had agreed. The would-be leader could not understand why the people hated Adepts so much.

"Garet?" The boy looked briefly back at her before he turned away again and silently began walking down the trail away from his house. "Garet, what's the matter? What happened?" Jenna was starting to get concerned. "That meeting was about Adepts, wasn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"Your mother told me. I've been waiting almost an hour for you. She said those two from Madra had just arrived and wanted an immediate meeting. She didn't know much about what they are here for, but one of the servants that came with them said that Madra was having possible Adept problems again. Is that true?"

"Jenna-."

"Is it?"

Garet sighed, hesitating before nodding. "There have been problems, and of course everything is being blamed on the Adepts. Do we really have to talk about this-?"

"What do they plan on doing? What have they already done?"

"There have been three arrests," answered Garet reluctantly. "Really, Jenna, can we just change the subject?" He said the last sentence with more force than he had intended, pulling forward and momentarily leaving Jenna behind. They crossed the bridge over the river and headed towards Kraden's house on the edge of Vale. Jenna followed in silence, not sure what exactly to say. She had never seen Garet act like this before.

"You wouldn't happen to have Kraden's key on you right now, would you?" Jenna jumped at the question, but produced the key from a pocket nonetheless. "Good. Since he's still away, you don't mind if we stop there do you?" Jenna shook her head and muttered a small "no." It only took a few minutes to reach the vacant house, but to the two silent teenagers it was an eternity before Jenna was unlocking the door and following Garet into the dining area.

"D-Do you want something to drink? I heard that cold water can help you unwind," she said quickly, not sure what else to do as she stood across from him at the dining table.

Garet sighed as he slumped into one of the chairs. "No thanks. I'm…I'm not thirsty."

"Something to eat?"

"No thank you." Kay didn't have a choice when it came to waiting on guests, but he wasn't about to ask someone else to do the same.

Jenna stared down at her friend. "Garet, what happened in that meeting? This isn't like you-."

"Just keep Isaac away from the marketplace for a while," he said, cutting her off. He didn't mean to be rude, but he was starting to feel more and more like just going home to bed rather than sit here and talk to Jenna about Adepts in nearby continents. A thought nagged him at the back of his mind, a decision he had made during the meeting, but one that he was hesitant to carry out. He tried to erase the idea, but something told him that it had to be done.

"Garet, quit changing the subject and tell me what happened."

Garet ran a hand through his orange spiky hair. "Remember when Isaac was first sent into exile?"

"Like it was yesterday," was the quiet reply before Jenna took a seat as well.

"I finally remembered it myself. Grandpa was ill that year. Each time there was a complaint or protest, he would be in bed the entire next day. Some of the villagers said that Isaac was just a kid and couldn't be responsible for all the bad things that had happened."

"But everyone else believed he was evil in disguise; just another demon that needed to be destroyed," Jenna added sadly. "They blamed him for everything from the poor crop yields to the drought."

"He had been staying with the Elder at the sanctum back then, hadn't he? But…even our Elder couldn't convince the village about Isaac."

Jenna nodded solemnly. "I don't think the Elder has ever really smiled since the day they sent Isaac away. Felix and I found him a few months later in the woods. We've been taking care of him since then." They sat in silence for a few moments. "Garet? Isaac wasn't mentioned at the meeting, was he?" Garet shook his head, still refusing to make eye contact with her. "Then why are you acting like this?"

The decision once again poked its way into Garet's mind, and he liked the idea just as little as ever, but it _had_ to be done, for everyone's sake. "I'm sorry Jenna, but I think I need to stop coming to visit you three at the cave."

"Garet, what are you-?"

"I think it would be better for all of us if…if we stopped…being friends." Jenna leaned back in her chair, unable to believe what she was hearing. Garet didn't listen to the waves of angry protesting that came from the girl shortly after. "I'm sorry. I'm going to be mayor of this village after my dad, and then it will be my job to uphold the laws. I can't do my job if I'm friends with one of the people I'm supposed to be banishing!"

"And just what does that have to do with me?" Jenna yelled, now back to standing. "What about me? What about Felix? How can you just throw both relationships out the window like this?"

"Jenna, please-."

"No! If you don't want to be friends anymore just because of this, then I'm going to give you a better reason than that to hate me!" Tears were starting to well up in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away.

"I don't hate you-." Geez, he hated it when she cried.

"But you can just throw us all away?" She gave a short, forced laugh. "Oh that makes perfect sense. So, what then? Are we holding you back? Are we keeping you from being the fine, just leader that your _granddaddy_ is-?"

Garet suddenly stood as well, knocking his chair back with a loud scrape. "It's not like that! I just…I just…" He hesitated again before finishing, deciding to stare at his hands on the table rather than her. "I just don't want to see the three of you get hurt…especially not by me." With that, he left the house and went home without looking back. He didn't even slow as he passed the kitchen on his way to his room when Mrs. Jerra offered him a late lunch.

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"Garet, Felix is working in the garden today."

"That's great."

"Is Jenna not coming today?

"Probably not."

"Garet, would you unlock this door already and quit with this attitude?" There was a moment's silence before the clicking of a lock was heard and Garet opened his bedroom door to reveal his sister. "Spill it. What's the matter with you lately?"

"Is that all you came for, Kay?"

"Did you two argue or something?"

"That's none of your business."

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Jenna stared up at the second floor window she knew was Garet's. Three days had passed since their argument at Kraden's, and Garet had not yet failed in avoiding her. Madra's mayor had left the day before with a caravan that would take supplies to the community in need. His father would follow at a later time, deciding that he and Mayor Jerra had years of friendly catching up to do, as well as to further discuss the options for dealing with Madra's Adepts. Yet, even when she had seen Garet outside with his family to see off the young official, he had simply ignored her presence at the edge of the property.

"If you're so worried, why don't you just go up and talk to him?" asked Felix in an almost bored fashion as he passed with a wheelbarrow of soil.

Jenna gave her brother a quick glare. "Why should I worry about that jerk? He's the one who ditched us."

Felix just shrugged nonchalantly. "If you say so."

Jenna waited for him to turn the corner of the house before looking up again. "Garet…What was said that made you like this?" Almost as though in response her question, she saw the curtains twitch a few moments later and Garet's face peered out at the horizon. _Look away, Jenna. Look away._ Everything in her screamed to not let him see her staring in his direction, but all communications between her mind and body seemed at a temporary standstill.

For a while, Garet just looked out at the view of the plaza his room's position offered. His gaze then lowered to the garden below, scanning it for any signs of the gardener Felix or even…

Jenna jumped when he looked straight at her. For a moment, all they did was stare at each other before Garet broke the connection, glancing at the windowsill halfheartedly before disappearing again, the curtain falling back in place. _No_. No sooner had Garet left the window had Kay then appeared, a curious look on her face. Spotting Jenna, Kay paused before grinning, waving quickly, and turning back to talk to her brother in the room and disappearing as well shortly after.

That did it. If his big sister was already moving in on him, then Jenna wasn't going to let Kay beat her by too much time. If anything, she wanted to be sure that there would still be enough Garet after Kay was through with him to let Jenna have at him.

At the end of the house, Felix watched his sister stomp off for the front door, a small smile pulling at his mouth. "About time." He glanced up at Garet's window. "You had just better not make her cry again, Garet. I don't care who you are or what your family is when it comes to my sister." With that quiet warning, Felix returned to his work.

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"Jenna, dear, are you here to see Garet?" asked Mrs. Jerra, emerging from the kitchen when Jenna entered the house. "I'm afraid he isn't quite himself lately. Maybe you should try again later."

"It's okay, Mom," said Kay, coming down the stairs. She grinned at Jenna. "So you want a shot at him too, huh?" She waved a hand back at the stairs as she stepped aside. "I don't know exactly what happened between you two, but knowing Garet, I'm sure it's his fault, so feel free to make him sorry for it."

Jenna nodded, returning the smile and suddenly feeling better than she had for the past few days. "Thanks Kay." She hurried past Kay and up the stairs to the second floor, but she could still hear the mother and daughter's last remarks below.

"Kay, do you really think Garet is in the mood for visitors?"

"Don't worry, Mom. They just have some issues to resolve. I think Garet will be just fine after today."

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Garet was sitting on the edge of his bed. Kay had left so suddenly after seeing Jenna that it made him feel uneasy. He couldn't deny that Kay had a natural talent when it came to working with people, but sometimes he doubted the method to her madness. There was a knock at the door, which Kay had forcefully instructed him not to lock again until she came back.

"Would you give it a rest already, Kay?" He fell back on his bed, preparing for more nagging.

"I'm not Kay." Garet sat bolt upright at the voice. A little too fast, he realized, when his vision seemed to keep going without him. Jenna stepped further into the room, closing the door behind her. "Hope you don't mind if I didn't wait for your permission to enter." Garet practically jumped to his feet. He could tell from her voice in an instant; Jenna was ticked. Not that he could blame her, but still, a ticked Jenna was a dangerous thing. He shook his head, not daring to speak yet for fear of provoking her.

There was a period of tense silence before Jenna finally spoke first. "We've missed you at the…_hangout_." Garet took the hint: she didn't want to talk openly in any part of this house about Isaac. Garet continued to stand in silence. "So," said Jenna with a deep breath, "why did you do it?"

Garet looked at the floor she was standing on. "I already told you-."

"I know what you said then. I want to know what you say now. Are you still determined to ignore us?" Garet didn't respond. "I know I keep asking you this, but you still haven't answered me. What happened in that meeting?"

Garet shook his head. "Can't you just be glad you aren't part of this family?"

"I guess not. I guess I'm just stubborn that way."

"Jenna-."

"Would you just answer my question already?" she said shortly. "What did you mean, when you said you didn't want to hurt us?"

Garet sighed and sat back down on the edge of his bed. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Then explain it to me like you would to a child, if you have too, just as long as you explain what was meant by it-!"

Garet suddenly stood again, glaring at her angrily. "You just don't give up, do you?"

Jenna glared back. "At least I don't turn my back on those who trust me."

"Fine. So I guess I'm a backstabber now. Why don't you just go home and deal with it already? I'm sure your brother, _Mr. Serious_, already has!" He crossed his arms and turned his back to her.

Jenna made a fist, barely resisting the urge to hit him in the back of the head. After a few moments of tense silence, she let her hand fall back to her side. "You know what? I was wrong about you." Her voice cracked slightly. "I thought you were a nice guy, someone we could look forward to becoming the leader of this village. Now I see…" she lowered her voice, "you're nothing but an oafish fake." Garet didn't even look back as she left, though he winced when she slammed the door behind her. He stood facing the wall, inwardly kicking himself yet glad that it was over and that it had worked.

"Garet?" Kay poked her head in. "Garet, Jenna looked upset. Is everything okay?"

Garet still didn't turn around, but he lowered his head. "Yeah, Kay. Everything's just how it has to be."

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Felix turned at the sound of the front door opening and a clearly unhappy Jenna emerging. _Uh oh_. As she approached her older brother, he could see how hard she was fighting back more tears. _Garet, you are dead_.

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"Garet, sweetie! Dinner!"

Garet slowly made his way down the stairs to the dining room that evening, the first time he had left his room since his argument with Jenna. Mrs. Jerra was hurriedly carrying dishes of various meats and vegetables from the kitchen to the table. Garet sat gloomily in his seat for a few seconds before looking around. "Where's Dad and Grandpa?"

"Meeting, darling," answered his mother, reemerging from the kitchen with a large bowl of mashed potatoes. "The marketplace guards caught a lowly thief trying to steal from Mr. Carlson's stock today. Oh, Kay, I'll get that. You just take a seat."

"Why anyone would try to steal armor is beyond me," added Kay as she obeyed, sitting next to Garet. "Especially from that shop."

"Then why would the guards bring this thief to Grandpa instead of just taking him straight to jail?"

"That's the good part," said Kay as she reached for a biscuit. "Apparently, while this guy was admitting to other thefts, he accidentally let slip that he was the guy that tried to rob you."

Garet froze in his seat. If what Kay said was true, then that bandit knew about Isaac. Garet didn't hear his mother and sister as he rose and moved out of the room and to the conference room. He didn't even knock before entering.

"-and considering your past record, I doubt that there would be much for you to bargain for- Oh, yes, Garet?" Garet stood stiffly in the doorway, everyone now staring at him. Almost everyone.

"So, dis is da kid who doesn' watch his possessions well enough." The thief's head turned up at the boy slowly. It only took a single glance and Garet was sure: this was the guy who had robbed him and who Isaac had used his Psynergy on to stop. His clothes were dirty and his hair was brown and matted. One of the forest dwelling thieves that liked to rob towns and ambush carriages, no doubt. "It was an easy job. He ain't that tough to pick out-."

"Hold your tongue," demanded one of the guards on either side of him, shoving the thief's shoulder and fingering the hilt of his sword. The thief gave the guard a sly glance and sneered, but said nothing more.

Mayor Jerra gave the criminal an irritated look before he turned to his grandson. "Garet, is this the man who tried to rob you at the market?" Garet nodded quickly. "Then is there something else I can help you with, or have you seen what you needed?"

"No, sir. That was all." Garet bowed his head politely and left. Mayor Jerra waited for Garet to leave before turning back to the bandit.

"As I was saying, I doubt there is anything you could use in an attempt to bargain your way to a lesser sentence."

The crook sat calmly, running a finger along the grain of the wood table. "Nothing, eh? I heard the Mayor of Madra paid a li'l visit 'ere a few days ago. There's been talk of a slight problem with certain…misfits...as of late."

Mayor Jerra straightened as the man paused, most likely to add a little dramatic effect. "Continue."

The criminal took a deep breath as though hesitant to share what he was thinking. "Well, bein' da mayor as you are, you wouldn' be wantin' any o' that dirt soiling the reputation of this pretty li'l town, now would you?"

Mayor Jerra couldn't resist showing some interest. "What are you proposing?"

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Yuja: Finally. After a 2 week delay (complete with my two cousins' sibling rivalries, the typical annoying little brother attitude of the younger one, and late-night anime), I have managed to finish another chapter. And once again, all title suggestions would be highly welcomed. Special thanks to Sorceress Sakura for her help.

And before anyone starts asking and I wind up answering the same question every chapter like I seem to be doing with my other story, THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE! The only pairing is Garet/Jenna, that is not changing, and it is nothing more than basically the kind of relationship that you see in this chapter…but with a little less arguing later. Actually, this was a little more than the hinting I originally intended. There will be no fluff since enough otherwise good stories have been ruined with the mess.

Jenna: She's not kidding. She only watched the movies "Titanic" and "Pearl Harbor" when her family first bought them.


	4. Tremor

Chapter 4

Yuja: Okay. You can blame my friend Jynx for this one. She just had to go off and introduce me to the music by Jem, particularly "They" and "24". Very helpful when writing this type of fic. And Evanescence. If trying to write drama, listen to Evanescence. And now for a few responses.

**fuzzy blob of doom –** "Is Garet gonna split on Isaac" you ask? Hmm…guess you will just have to read and see…and I don't think this chapter alone will answer that question. ((grin))

Isaac: -.-;; In other words, she knows, but wants to keep everyone in "suspense" despite the fact that she's terrible at it.

**Fjord Cannon** – Tee hee. I think I'm developing the bad habit of leaving cliffies. And congratulations, you gave the thief a concussion. Hey! ((whips out bats and other various whacking items)) Who wants to play Whack-A-Thief?

**Dracobolt** – Phew. Glad you liked the arguments. I was worried that I over did it.

**Dragon Scales 13** – Thick? As in, not very smart in believing what Garet said? Yeah, I kinda had some trouble writing that part and it just seemed to happen. I'll try to work on preventing that in later chapters.

**Trixie's girl** – Thanks. Will do!

**Great redwyrm** – Wow. Three new reviewers in one chapter? Anyway… Glad you like it.

Jenna: Yuja doesn't own Golden Sun.

Yuja: And I swear, if you see any missing spaces between words or any other typos…THIS CRAZY WEBSITE KEEPS DELETING MY SPACES AND IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY! AND IT WON'T LET ME USE MORE THAN ONE EXCLAMATION MARK!-!-!-! (unless I do that…) Seriously, I read over each chapter at least a dozen times and use spell check almost religiously before uploading, so pretty much all errors can be blamed on this site.

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"Hey, Garet? Remember that thief that Grandpa met with yesterday during dinner?" Garet, still half asleep, made a noise in his throat that Kay assumed to be a "yes" as her brother reached for a piece of toast. "Well, turns out he was able to work up a plea bargain of sorts." Garet made another noise, still only partially listening to her. "I'm not sure what, exactly, but from what I've heard it seems that..." Garet was almost ready to drop the toast in his hand and fall face first onto the table when Kay elbowed him. "Are you even listening? Better yet, are you even alive yet?"

"Quit bugging me," Garet mumbled, swatting away the hand that his sister was waving in front of him. He hadn't slept so well the night before.

"Well, forgive me for trying to keep you updated, Mr. Mayor-to-be. Just thought you'd want to know. I mean, this is the same low life that tried to rob you." Garet's toast hit his plate and his head nodded dangerously above it. "Fine then. Stay out of the loop of things," continued Kay as though sharing some fascinating secret. "I guess you wouldn't really be concerned just yet with stuff like an Adept possibly being found in the area."

That woke him up. "An Adept?"

"Yeah. That crook says he was stopped by a guy that showed the signs, whatever that means. But keep in mind; this is just speculation right now. Nothing's been proven yet. For all we know, this guy's just another raving lunatic that would accuse a _dog_ of Psynergy if it got in his way. Oh, and Aaron's starting his training at the Sanctum later today."

_Isaac_. "I'll see you later, Kay. I've got something I need to do." He stood from the table and pulled his boots on at the door.

"No problem. Say hi to Jenna and Felix for me." Garet stared at his sister, but she just smiled as she picked at some grapes. "I'm your big sister. What did you expect me to say?"

Garet walked as casually as possible along the dirt path, across a bridge, and down a flight of stairs. Before leaving from the bottom of the stairs, he cast a quick glance around before continuing to the nearest house.

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"I'm taking it you don't want to come to the Jerras' house with me today."

"How'd you guess?"

"Well, you're going to miss a show."

"He's still the _mayor's grandson_, Felix, so don't hurt him…too much."

"Thanks. Take all the fun out of it, why don't you?" There was a knock at the door, and Felix, being only a few feet away, answered. His smile vanished. "Oh. It's you."

"Who is it?" Jenna stood from the dining table and moved to get a glimpse past her brother. Seeing Garet standing there, her mood instantly turned cold as she returned to her seat. "What do you know? It's our friend the fake."

Garet didn't look at Jenna. "Can I come in?" He stared Felix in the eye. Felix stared back for a few seconds as though considering whether to comply with the request or punch the inquirer in the face.

Finally, he shrugged and moved aside. Garet quickly stepped in and Felix closed the door. "Why are you here, Garet?"

"You need to move Isaac."

Again, Felix just studied their guest for a moment. "Why?"

"Something's come up. Someone's told Grandpa that there's an Adept in Vale-!"

In an instant and despite Garet's considerable size advantage, Felix had grabbed Garet by the front of his shirt and pinned him to the door. "This had better not be your doing," he hissed threateningly. Jenna stood again behind them.

"I swear. I didn't tell anyone," Garet responded evenly. "But someone else has. It's that thief that robbed me before. He was finally arrested trying to rob Mr. Carlson. Turning in Isaac is his idea of getting out of trouble." Felix glared at him a little longer before letting go.

"So why'd you come running to us? I thought you didn't care. You just want to be a good mayor after all, don't you?"

Garet hesitated. "Yeah, well, consider it as being for old time's sake," he answered, opening the door and leaving the siblings behind him.

Felix turned back to his sister. "What do you think? Can we still trust him? We don't know what all has happened in that house for a while now."

Jenna was silently thinking the same thing, her gaze lowered and away from the door. "I don't know anymore. For all I know, his family finally broke through him and set him up for this. I know it's a crazy idea and I don't like the thought of it, but it's as good a guess as we've got right now. I just don't know him like I used to anymore."

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_A small boy tugged at his father's sleeve. "Papa? Why is Grandpa so sick all the time?"_

_The man kneeled so that he was eye level with the child. "Don't you worry, son. It won't be long before the problem is handled and your Grandpa is better again. He's just under a lot of stress right now."_

"_But, how can a person my age make him sick?"_

"_An Adept isn't a person, son. An Adept is evil. It can only bring trouble." The man ruffled the boy's hair as he stood. "You'll understand someday."_

"_Then I'll be a good mayor, right Papa?"_

_The man smiled. "That's right. Then we'll be assured that you will be a fine mayor, Garet."_

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Garet kicked a pebble along the path back to his house. He had been half tempted to visit the cave when he had come to the crossroads, but had decided against it. _Knowing my luck, I would probably be followed_. Continuing on, Garet didn't really look up until he had crossed the bridge, and what he saw waiting for him made him stop where he was.

"Now, I don't want to take any real action before I've checked with my grandson, but you have your orders for what to do if he confirms what that criminal claims," explained Mayor Jerra to a group of at least a dozen Valean guards. "If the claims are false, then there will be no need to carry through with the-"

"Grandpa!"

Mayor Jerra turned to see his oldest grandson running towards him. "Ah, Garet. What perfect timing."

"Grandpa, what's going on?" He could see Kay off to the side trying to signal him to remember his place and manners, but Garet ignored her.

"Come inside, Garet. There's something I need to ask you." Kay was almost begging where she stood, mouthing what looked like "yes sir" over and over again. Garet saw no reason to worry her and said the phrase to the mayor, making Kay look considerably more relaxed as he entered the house and was led to the empty conference room.

"Shut the door, will you Garet? Now, a slight issue seems to have arisen concerning the thief the guards apprehended yesterday. First of all, is there anything you would like to tell me, Garet?" Mayor Jerra took a seat near the end. Garet remained standing, shaking his head with a quick "no sir." "Good, good. Well, as I'm sure you know by now, that thief has claimed that an Adept is living within the boundaries of this town. Unfortunately, Garet, as the mayor of this town it is my duty to prove or disprove such statements. I must ask you, Garet, do you know anything about the Adept of which this man speaks?"

_An Adept isn't a person, son._

"Sir, I can assure you that there weren't any people in the alleys aside from the thief and myself that I could see."

"He said he was attacked and that you witnessed it."

"I had chased him all through the market place, sir. He panicked when he realized I was still behind him."

"You saw no Adept or any signs of an Adept?"

"No sir."

"What of your friends? This man says he has seen them entering a cave with supplies, sometimes accompanied by you."

"It's just a place we go to in order to hang out, sir. Jenna and Felix sometimes bring snacks or something for us to do."

"As a man talking to his grandson, Garet, I have to ask you: are you speaking in all honesty, or are you simply saying these things to protect something?"

"No sir." _Isaac wasn't a _something "I'm not protecting any thing."

Mayor Jerra studied the teenager in front of him before standing. "Come with me, Garet. There is something I feel you need to see." The mayor led Garet out of the conference room and down a hall to a room that was somewhat smaller than Garet's bedroom. The room was mostly empty aside from a row of unlit candles lining the left and right walls, both of which also contained murals of what seemed to be a battle. Mounted in the center of the opposite wall from the door was a large suit of armor, almost samurai-like, and a sword rested on a pedestal in front of it. "Garet, do you know what this room is?"

"No sir. I've never been allowed in here."

"That is because you were not of age. However, I believe you are now close enough. This room serves as a constant reminder of what our people have overcome."

"Overcome what, sir?"

"The Adepts." Mayor Jerra motioned at the walls. "These are murals of a great battle this town once faced many years ago. This armor belonged to one of our ancestors. I am not sure how many generations ago it was, but when Vale was merely a mountain base village, it was attacked by a band of fierce Adepts. They set fire to houses, created a storm, and flooded the river. No one knows why they attacked, but many lives were lost in the struggle. Our ancestor, Vale's Mayor at the time, faced the Adepts with this very sword you see before you." Garet stepped closer to the mentioned weapon for a better look. "It was named the Fire Brand, for when wielded in battle, it was said to unleash the very flames of Purgatory itself."

"And he fought back the invaders with that alone?"

"Yes. Simple Adepts do not possess such weapons. They rely on their Psynergy to wreak havoc. When they realized what they were up against, the tides of battle shifted in Vale's favor. The stone statue at the entrance to our town was once solid crystal, but the Adepts changed it to stone as they retreated, a final attempt to leave a mark."

Mayor Jerra turned to his grandson. "Now do you see why, as the leading family, it is our duty to protect this town while continuing to fend off the Adept threat? Even now, after all the hard work to single out Adepts, they still manage to appear from time to time. However, even ignoring the matter of the Adepts, since we are members of this proud lineage, it is our job to do what is best for our people, no matter what the costs."

Garet stared at the armor and weapon a little longer. "Our ancestor, the one you were telling me about, what happened to him after the battle?"

"Didn't you notice? The answer is right over there." He pointed to a section of painting to the right of them. There was the image of what looked like flames around a dark human-shaped figure laying on a gray rectangle. A funeral pyre. "He was injured in battle, but fought on until he could fight no more. That is the image we must live up to each day. That is what it means to be a mayor, a leader, of Vale.

"Forgive me for asking again, Garet, but are you sure there is nothing you wish to tell me?" Garet shook his head. "Garet, I did not raise two boys and not learn to know when something was being hidden."

"I'm just having some trouble with Jenna and Felix." Garet realized and was confused by his grandfather's words. "Two boys, sir? Dad had a brother?"

Mayor Jerra's face darkened slightly with this new topic. "Yes, but you wouldn't remember him. He died many years before even Kay was born. Had he lived, he would have been the mayor after me."

"What… happened?"

"You could say that he went for a stroll in the woods and did not return. Search parties were formed, and his body was found beside the road. Again, the Adepts are to blame. They were caught red handed, still hovering over him like vultures."

"What did they say? Were they questioned?"

"Heavens, no! They were all killed at first sight! You can't contain an Adept. In that kind of situation, they would kill you before you could even find a rope. No, Garet, the best thing at a time like that is to kill first, ask later. Even then, there isn't much to ask."

The two emerged from the house moments later. Garet moved to the side where Kay and Aaron, the boy already dressed for his first day of apprenticeship, stood while Mayor Jerra faced the waiting officials. "Garet has assured me to the best of his knowledge that the thief has been dishonest about a possible Adept. Thank you for your time, gentlemen. Captain, if you and your men would follow me."

Garet turned back around. "Grandpa, where are you going?"

"Forgive me, Garet, but I must thoroughly examine every possibility."

"Garet, what are you doing? Get back here," ordered Kay, but Garet still followed the group over the bridge and along the trail. It wasn't until they reached the stairs that Garet felt his heart speed up and his feet stopped. Before his grandfather could reach the bottom step, Garet had turned around and was headed back for the crossroads.

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_The small boy stood with his sister at her bedroom window. From there the siblings could easily see the sanctum, the white stone of the structure illuminated by the mass of torches being carried by the mob. Some of the men from the village were angrily trying to climb the stairs, and even the many priests had trouble keeping the crowd at bay._

"_Are they really getting rid of the Adept, Kay?" Where any adult's voice would have been filled with excitement in asking such a question, the boy's young voice was a mix of fear and confusion._

_The girl put a hand protectively on her brother's shoulder. "The villagers won't give up until they do, Garet."_

"_But what about the Elder? Don't they care about what he says?"_

"_The Elder's word means nothing against Grandpa's or the people. If Grandpa says the boy must go, then the boy must go."_

"_But it wasn't his idea. Why is he doing whatever the people want?"_

"_Because he's the mayor, Garet. He has to do what he thinks is best for his people, no matter what the costs," answered the girl, repeating the motto of sorts that the children had been hearing since before either could remember._

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Garet struggled with the vines where he knew the cave entrance should be, but they refused to give way. "Isaac, I don't know what Jenna's told you, but you have to trust me for now," whispered Garet to the vines, still trying to move them out of his way. "The thief was caught, and he's ratted you out. Please, I never wanted Grandpa to find out. I never wanted you to be treated like that again."

As though the vines had listened and judged him worthy, each fell limp in his hands as he finished talking. _Isaac's getting better at this._ Garet wasted no time in moving along the tunnel and entering the chamber at the end where Isaac waited silently.

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"For Sol's sake, just cut the things!" Mayor Jerra was growing impatient. One of the guards drew his sword and cut at the dense vegetation, revealing the opening beyond.

"It's just a cave, Mayor," assured Felix casually behind him. "Nothing too grand. Just some place to relax from time to time."

"I don't wish to doubt you, Felix, but I cannot dismiss this case without thoroughly investigating." Mayor Jerra led the way, followed by Felix, Jenna, and six guards. Jenna marveled at how calm Felix was being, yet even she knew Isaac wouldn't be caught by surprise. He controlled the vines at the entrance, and he would already know of the unfriendly presence.

As they rounded the final corner, the siblings almost walked into the mayor when he halted suddenly, momentarily too shocked for words. When he could speak again, the leader could only form the question, "Garet? What-What are you _doing_ here?" Looking over their mayor's shoulders, the group found the leading family's youngest heir sitting contently on the wooden bench in front of them.

Garet looked up at his grandfather's words and grinned. "Oh, hey Grandpa. I was just waiting for Felix and Jenna. We were going to hang out today."

Mayor Jerra glanced between the three youths, visibly confused. "But…didn't you say you were having problems?"

"Yeah, well, that's why we were meeting today. We've got to work things out sometime, you know."

As he looked around, Felix could barely resist grinning as well. _You've certainly pulled it off this time, Garet._ A table had been moved into the corner, both it and one of the benches now covered by thick sheets serving as table cloths and draped to the floor. Most every item that would suggest a full time resident was missing from the cavern, and Felix had a sneaking suspicion that the reorganized furniture had something to do with it.

Mayor Jerra straightened. "Well, then, would you mind if I took a look around?"

"Actually, Grandpa, this might not be the best time. I was kind of hoping to-"

"I am sorry, Garet, but I must insist." The mayor motioned towards the guards behind him and each was soon in the cavern, forcing Garet to jump aside lest he be knocked over in the now crowded room. There was one official at the cabinets, another at the table, two at the book shelves, and the other two looking in every nook and cranny.

"Sir," called one within the first half minute. He was at the pantry, and Garet was already making his excuse. "It looks as though there is enough food here to last one person a week, even with three full meals a day!"

Jenna stiffened behind Garet as the mayor turned to his grandson. "Garet?"

Garet had his arms crossed and was leaning casually against the tunnel wall. He shrugged at the inquiry. "We get hungry sometimes. Jenna just got a little carried away last time she went shopping, so she stored some of the extra supplies here."

Another guard that had been looking through the cabinets now turned as well. "Mayor Jerra, sir, there is a large amount of cloth and sewing materials here. There also tools here that are used for wood work." He opened another cabinet, revealing more provisions. Everyone looked to Garet.

"Jenna likes sewing and making different crafts. She patches up our outfits whenever needed, and the wood carving tools belong to Felix. Just another hobby of his." Felix smirked. Garet was almost as quick as him when it came to making excuses on short notice. The procedure continued, Garet always supplying a decent reason for each item's presence. Then it came to the matter of the crude wardrobe Felix had crafted years ago. The three teenagers stiffened as the guard quickly opened the double doors, but it only exposed a row of tunics and blankets. Garet instantly excused them almost in an embarrassed manner as costumes for when the three used to dress up and role play as knights or wizards.

The guard began to close the doors to move on, but stopped suddenly. When asked what the matter was, he stated that he thought something moved, then dismissed it as his imagination or the breeze caused by the movement of the double doors and turned to the book shelf where the earlier two were still examining each volume. Felix looked ready to protest when several papers fell out of one book and scattered on the floor near the entrance, but decided against it, though Jenna could tell that the damage was silently killing him. After what couldn't have been more than ten to fifteen minutes, the search was announced complete. Garet almost sighed in relief that no one had thought to check the covered table or bench.

Each guard retreated to the entrance, and the mayor apologized to Garet and the siblings for the intrusion. As the guards began to file out, the next to last one slipped on the fallen book pages. Flailing his arms for balance, he accidentally hit his comrade behind him, causing the man to stumble backwards and into the side of the wardrobe. The teenagers held their breath as the structure wobbled dangerously. The guard tried to still the wooden closet, but he only seemed to make matters worse as it fell forward in almost slow motion, the front crashing and splintering onto the end of the uncovered bench.

The two guards apologized profusely as they attempted to right the now ruined furniture, but the teenagers hurried forward to shoo them away. However, the other guards insisted on correcting their friends' errors, and the three youths could only stand helplessly to the side as the wood was lifted up and put back against the wall before anyone noticed the lump under the mass of blankets and clothes. Before anyone could stop him, one of the accident free guards had picked up a bundle of cloth. There was a stunned pause as the intruders stared down at the remaining pile and the blonde-haired, blue-eyed figure that stared up terrified in the center of it.

After what seemed like an eternity, Mayor Jerra stepped forward. "Garet?" he asked slowly. "Just what is the meaning of this?"

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Jenna: You're evil if you're gonna leave it there.

Yuja: Then call me Miss Evil, 'cause that's where I'm stopping. And the request for any and all title suggestions is STILL on. ((hint hint))

And in case anyone is wondering, I'm kind of trying to rotate my stories. n-n;; I'm not letting them RIP for 2 years again…I think…


	5. Trespass

Chapter 5

Thursday was Thanksgiving here in the US, so happy late Thanksgiving to all of you, and tomorrow (though technically today, since the clock now shows it's past midnight) is my birthday, so happy birthday to me…sure is a lot of "happy" going on.

Isaac: Just get on with the story and don't think about it too much.

You know, Isaac? For once I agree with you.

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"Just what is the meaning of this?" His demeanor was calm, but his grandson knew better than to believe the outward appearance.

Garet was out of excuses. All that were left were just desperate attempts, and the aging mayor would see through every one of them in a heartbeat. _I can explain. He was just passing through. He couldn't afford the Inn._ He wanted to blurt out each of these things, but his voice seemed to be caught in his throat.

Mayor Jerra didn't wait long before he turned to leave, clearly stating his orders to the closest guard. "Kill it." For a moment, Garet's mind froze.

Jenna jumped forward as each guard drew their swords. "No!" She stood in front of the Adept that still sat on the ground, half covered by blankets and clothing. "You can't! He didn't do anything wrong!" Felix moved forward as well, mostly to protect Jenna.

Mayor Jerra spun back around. "He didn't do anything wrong? My dear Jenna, that _thing_ is an Adept!"

"He's not a thing." All eyes turned to Garet, who looked shocked at his own words in his grandfather's presence.

"What did you say?" The mayor cut Garet off before he could answer. "I'm surprised with you, Garet. I know teenagers are notorious for being unruly at times, but I never thought I would have to worry about you."

"Grandpa, I-."

"Did any of the things I taught to you, any of the things that I showed to you, mean _anything_ to you?" He turned to Jenna. "My dear, please move aside."

There was the sound of hurried footsteps in the tunnel, and soon the rest of the guards were standing a short distance away from the room entrance, their captain now standing at the front. "Sir, we heard a commotion. Is everyone all right?" Felix's eyes narrowed as he stared at the newcomers, and Garet, following the older youth's line of sight, saw that four carried crossbows at their sides.

"Captain, I want that thing taken care of." He pointed down at Isaac. When the captain gave him a questioning glance, Mayor Jerra added, "It's the Adept we were informed of. I want it dealt with."

The captain's eyes grew wide. "A-an Adept?" Collecting himself, he half turned back to his reinforcements, but the ones with the crossbows had already raised their weapons. With those, the shooters could take out Isaac even with Jenna standing there, but that wasn't saying they wouldn't take her out as well.

"Wait!" Garet put himself between Jenna and the guards. "What proof do you even have that he's the Adept you're looking for? What makes you so sure that he's an Adept to begin with?"

"That _thing_ was sent into exile under penalty of death. By reentering the gates of this town it has thus forfeited its life," explained the mayor in an almost sarcastic matter-of-fact tone.

"What if he isn't the same guy? How can you be so sure it's him after so many years?"

"Garet, I'm getting tired of this. Now, move aside so we can finish this once and for all."

"You're the mayor and have to uphold the laws, and the laws state that he's entitled to a chance to defend himself before sentencing. You can't kill him!"

"Those laws only apply to Vale's citizens."

"He _was_ a citizen! Until you had him kicked out, he was a Valean and even then you refused to give him a chance. Therefore, you should owe him one now. I'll take full responsibility for it if anything goes wrong! Please!"

Mayor Jerra seemed ready to pop a blood vessel or have a stroke, but he forced himself to remain calm. After several deep breaths and hard staring at his grandson, he relented. "Very well, but it will be jailed and confined until it is judged. Captain? Arrest it and get it to the jail, and try to attract as little attention as possible." The four teenagers were ready to almost explode with joy, until the mayor cleared his voice and added, "And I want Mister Felix and Miss Jenna arrested as well."

"WHAT?"

"Grandpa, y-you can't!"

"I am the mayor, Garet, and I say what can and cannot be done. I've already granted you one favor today." He started to walk angrily away, but turned back to give Garet another cold, hard stare. "Quite frankly, Garet Jerra, I have never been more disappointed."

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Garet sat silently in the otherwise empty meeting room, his head resting on his crossed arms at table. Kay had been furious with him when he had returned home, but at the same time seemed…afraid. Afraid of what? Or was it that she was so nervous for his sake. He had just been caught trying to protect an Adept, and when it came to the no-no list of the leading family, that ranked very close to the top.

The door creaked as it opened slowly and Mr. Jerra entered, closing the door behind him and sitting across from his son at the table. "Garet, I want to know exactly what happened today," he said as though speaking to a child who had broken a vase.

Garet frowned and looked away. "You mean Grandpa hasn't been out there ranting about it for the entire past hour?"

"Garet, I know this is a difficult time you're going through, with you turning eighteen and starting your training, but if you were having problems I just wish you had-"

"Problems? Dad, I didn't do it just to be some rebellious teenager!"

"Garet, calm down. I just want to know why you would allow yourself to mingle with a rogue like that. Have you any idea the terrible powers Adepts possess? There's no telling when that thing might have turned on you."

"His name's Isaac."

"Giving it a name isn't going to-"

"His name is Isaac and he isn't a 'thing'." Garet was starting to get very annoyed with his family and their behavior towards Isaac. It was as though they truly believed that an Adept was nothing more than a soulless animal.

Mr. Jerra opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped when he heard the door opening again behind him. It was Mayor Jerra. "That will do, son. Now, if you will excuse us, I wish to discuss a few matters with the boy." Mr. Jerra hastily rose from his seat and left.

Garet was starting to feel like a prisoner in his own home. He had been sent almost directly to this room to wait in silence for about an hour, and now he was going to face an interrogation until he could tell his father and grandfather what they wanted to hear.

"Garet, I understand this must be a confusing time for you," the mayor began, echoing his son, "but you can be assured that there will be no serious repercussions on your part over this. Everyone makes mistakes, after all."

Garet looked up carefully. "You mean I'm not in trouble?"

"In a way. I've thought about what happened today, and I've come to the realization that perhaps I over reacted. You were very young when the Adepts were driven out, so I can hardly expect to fully understand the situation."

"So, what's going to happen now?"

"The Adept will be dealt with quickly and we will all carry on with our everyday lives."

It took a few seconds for Garet to realize what the older man was saying. "What? Grandpa! How can you do this? He's not dangerou-!"

Mayor Jerra turned angrily to his grandson. "How many times must I tell you, Garet, that Adepts only mean trouble and must be taken care of quickly? As mayor, I cannot allow one to run around unchecked."

"That still doesn't mean you have to _kill_ him!"

"I already spared him once, Garet. I will not take that risk again."

"And what about Felix and Jenna? They didn't do anything wrong!"

"They assisted in concealing a threat to this village. They will stand trial, but for now they shall remain imprisoned."

Garet lowered his gaze. "What about me?" he asked quietly. "I helped them, too. I knew about Isaac weeks ago and said nothing." He looked up furiously. "Are you going to arrest me too?"

"You will speak no such nonsense to another soul! You are the heir to the Jerra line. After your father, you will lead this village. The people of Vale do not need a leader they cannot trust."

Garet stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly on the floor. "Well maybe I don't need to lead a village that thinks everything they don't understand is evil!"

"Watch your tone, young man! I won't have such disrespect in this house!" The mayor took a few deep breaths to calm him self before continuing. "You really want to waste everyone's time by putting it on trial?" Garet nodded. "Sometimes, it is only by making mistakes that one truly learns. Very well. I will allow it, but I warn you, Garet. You never experienced an Adept trial in the older days. Perhaps when it is over, you will see why Adepts don't stand trial." Turning his back to Garet, Mayor Jerra jerked open the door and closed it roughly behind him.

Garet stood stunned in the small room, even long after everyone else had left. How could he have allowed this to happen? He might as well already be counting down to Isaac's funeral, or lack there of, and there was no telling what would happen to his other friends.

----------

Aaron put the last of the scrolls into the appropriate compartment on the wall and stood back to admire his work. It had been his first task as a scribe. The priest who had given him the job claimed it was so the boy could familiarize himself with the location of the different scrolls and texts, though Aaron saw it more as an excuse to have someone else clean and organize the room.

There was the sound of people rushing past the door and nervous voices. Risking a peek outside, Aaron found almost every person there in a state of panic. He couldn't understand half of what was being shouted in the room, but someone could have been ransacking the marketplace from the sounds of it.

"Aaron." The boy jumped and turned. His shoulders relaxed when he saw who had entered through the other door.

"Great Healer, I didn't hear you come in," said the boy with a slight bow.

The Healer raised a hand slightly. "Now is not a time to be concerned with formalities, child. Tell me, have you ever heard of Adepts?"

Aaron nodded. "A thief that was arrested told Grandpa there was one in Vale."

"Do you know what Adepts are?" Aaron shook his head. "If you follow the teachings and beliefs of the other villagers here, they are evil beings in human form with no other purpose than to destroy the lives of normal people."

"What are they really, sir?" Aaron asked after a brief pause.

"You are a smart one." Aaron could tell the Healer was smiling under his large beard. "If one is able to look past the differences, past the superstitions, then perhaps one could see what they truly are."

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I'm just gonna stop it here for now. I started writing another part where Garet and Kay are talking, but then I had to write a seven page essay for English and of course that gave me really bad writer's block. That, and I'm now hooked on a few role play threads in the gaiaonline forums. So, um, yeah, I've kinda been slacking when I don't have school stuff.

Isaac: What are you talking about? You slack even when you do have school work.

Watch it. I still get my work done, and the only all-nighter I've pulled so far was mostly because I had registration for my classes at 6 that morning.

**Dracobolt** – Yeah, they almost did, but didn't. And now everything is falling into place and the stage is almost set. I won't say for what yet, though, but I will say that little Aaron's going to have a bit of a role in it…

**fuzzy blob of doom** – Isaac would completely agree with you on that one. I don't think this one ends in much of a cliffhanger. More like food for thought.

**Fjord Cannon** – Yay! A cookie! And I know I'm mean with all these cliffhangers, but writer's block seems to get me even easier if I don't have a cliffy to pick up from. Plus, the reactions I get from them are always interesting. n.n

**Trixie's girl** – You wanted it, and now you've got it. Just don't make any final decisions on the mayor's or anyone else's behavior in this chapter yet, though. This story's only half way done, if that even.

**Jenna.Fan** – Let's see. Will the others have Psynergy? To be honest, I've set it up so the story can go either way, so I guess we're all in suspense now.


	6. Treason

**Chapter 6**

I know, I know. I said I'd never let a fic sit un-updated for two years again, and then I go off and let this one sit for a year and a half. This chapter was tricky to get in the right mood for, but hopefully it turned out to be worth at least half of the wait. Sorry for there not being any review responses this time, but as far as I know, FF.N's still against responses appearing within author notes. Which is kinda dumb, but I don't write the rules, so not much I can do if I don't want to risk having my stories taken down. Phooey.

Disclaimer: If I owned Golden Sun, TLA wouldn't have had so many annoying typos, errors, and other signs that Camelot severely underestimated their own game. Come on, is it really that hard to at least correctly label the Mercury and Jupiter Djinn on the back of the world map?

In other words, I don't own Golden Sun, but recently spent way too much time looking over the games for smaller, easily missed details to use in a possible upcoming fan fic. Er, I mean… Enjoy the story!

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"I'm not fit to be a mayor." Garet leaned against the wall beside his window, staring down at the garden below. Gray clouds were now hovering low over the area, further darkening his mood. He half expected to see Felix and Jenna walk by at any moment, Felix being as serious as ever and Jenna doing everything she could to get a grin or laugh out of him, but usually failing and only getting more on his nerves. That wasn't going to happen ever again, though.

There was a knock at the door and Kay poked her head in. "Garet? Are you okay?" Garet didn't respond. "I'm sorry things have happened this way, but you have to understand that this is how things are."

"Easy for you to say," he muttered back. "All you have to do is sit and wait to be needed."

"You don't mean that." Kay sighed, coming further into the room. "In the family of a mayor, women have a different role than the men. There are just some things you have to learn to accept."

Garet shrugged. "And what if I don't like the way things are? What if I don't _want_ to accept them?"

Kay crossed her arms. "Then you'd be fighting a losing battle. You can't rewrite hundreds of years of history over one Adept that you don't think is a monster. Haven't you listened to a thing that Grandpa's taught you?"

"What? Hate anyone that might be stronger than you? If that's the case, he might as well arrest the Carlsons and Pullmans as well. They might storm the house with their cheap weapons and armor. Look out. They've got a metal _toothpick_."

Kay wasn't amused by the sarcasm or mock horror. "Fine, then. You can keep moping all you want, just don't come crying to me when Aaron takes over instead of you."

Garet rolled his eyes as his sister huffed off, turning back to the window. Then he thought of something. "Aaron?" What was it his grandfather had said about their uncle? _He would have been the mayor after me. The Adepts are to blame. They were caught red handed, still hovering over him like vultures._ Would his family title really pass him over because of something like this? Had Isaac tricked him, and really was just like those other Adepts?

Leaving his room, Garet met no one as he walked quickly through the house, not stopping until he was back in the mural room. The ancient armor seemed to tower over him disapprovingly, despite it being hung so the shoulder plates were only a few inches higher than the top of his head. On each wall, the history of Vale unfolded. The Adept attack; the Adept persecutions; ruined crops; dried rivers; banishments; executions; Vale burning; families torn to pieces. There were even odd looking animals attacking with the Adepts in some scenes. It was all there in that room, and it was all centered around some pieces of old leather and a flat metal stick. Finally, the paintings stopped spinning through Garet's mind, and he found his voice. "What am I supposed to do?"

"A question we all ask, but few ever say aloud."

Garet jumped and looked back at the doorway, which he'd forgotten to close behind him in his hurry. "Grandpa?"

Mayor Jerra smiled with a nod, and entered the room. "You're still young, Garet. You aren't expected to know all the answers just yet." He stopped beside his grandson and stared up at the armor. "All you have to do is trust that we adults know a thing or two about what we say. Believe it or not, we do tend to speak from experience at times."

"But… Isaac's not like the Adepts in history. That thief would've gotten away with my money if it hadn't been for Isaac stopping him. If he was so dangerous, hasn't he had more than enough time to show it?"

"Garet, you are missing the bigger picture," Mayor Jerra explained, holding up a hand for silence. "Adepts have been a source of evil and destruction for years on end. For that reason, normal people simply cannot trust them anymore. To allow one Adept amnesty, I would risk losing all trustworthiness in the eyes of other residents. Do you remember when you were five years old? When the storms caused the river to flood?"

"That was the year you sent Isaac away."

The elder nodded. "If circumstances had been different, I _might_ have allowed it to live on in the Sanctum, so long as it behaved and kept a low enough profile. However, word spread that there was an Adept, and the people demanded it be removed. I did what I had to in order to avoid a repeat of the past. If the riot had been allowed to continue, Vale might have very likely burned to the ground. Then what? The blame would have been put on the Adept and this family, and I was not about to put our family at risk."

Again, everyone else was calling Isaac an "it." "So, it all comes down to choosing the lesser evil and greater good, huh?" It gave him a bitter taste in his mouth to say it, and he couldn't help feeling he had already given up.

Mayor Jerra smiled with another nod, and patted Garet on the shoulder before turning to walk back out. "You're a bright young man, Garet. Occasionally clumsy and absentminded, mind you, but underneath that you are very bright indeed." Unsure what else to say, Garet stayed alone in the room for a while longer, finally reaching a decision.

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Vale's excuse for a prison had been cut into a hillside ages ago, and was not frequently used or maintained; something that only added to the underground cave effect. In the silence, one would be able to hear water dripping further in, but currently, that silence was being broken by clanging bars and angry shouts.

"What?!" Jenna shouted, pounding a fist against the metal that kept her from hitting the other redhead instead. "Garet, how can you say such a stupid thing?! You- You unbelievable BAS-!"

"Jenna!" Jenna glared back at her brother, who was sitting coolly on one of the stone benches with his arms folded. "It's his decision. Leave it at that."

"You too? What is this? How can you both throw in the towel so easily?" She mock laughed at the boys. "Then you're both nothing but cowards."

"Jenna," Felix warned again.

Garet stood silent on the other side of the cell door, hands in pockets and eyes downcast. He had known the news wouldn't be taken well, but what choice did he have? Jenna may hate him forever, and Felix might never forgive him either, but at least… "Even if Isaac is let off the hook, where would he go? If he went to any other town, they'd kill him the second they realized what he was."

"Oh, so now you're being the good guy by letting him be murdered in his own hometown instead?" If Garet weren't just out of reach, Jenna probably would have been more than happy to slap him. Or punch him; she wasn't sure which she wanted to do more. "You _know_ he's not dangerous. You know it, Garet, you know it! I can't believe I ever thought that-!"

Jenna raised a fist to strike the bars again, but cut herself off as a sound floated through the jail. Garet followed her gaze down the hallway, realizing the music was coming from beyond the end door that led to more stairs, which led farther down into the deeper recesses of the tunnels. It sounded like… a flute? It was definitely some kind of woodwind instrument. The muffled tune was slow, soft, and reflected the shared sorrow they were all feeling, whether they admitted to it or not.

Felix stood and came to the bars as well, listening along with the others. "It's Isaac," he finally said when the notes began to repeat. "The guards must've let him have his whistle back after all. I didn't think any of them were listening when I said where it was." Garet shifted his weight uneasily between his feet as the music continued.

Isaac sat at the back of his stone prison as he played, the light from the few wall torches making any shadows flicker and dance along. There was only one other cell cut into the stone in this area, the construction of a third cell having been halted due to the water trickle. Since then, a small pool had formed in the corner, and water still continued to leak in over time. Sensing the earth around him, the chamber was probably very close to the river, or one of the many streams that flowed into it. Perhaps he was even underneath it. Not that it mattered. Vale never had much trouble with crime, so it was all too obvious who, or rather, "what," this section was made for.

A few moments ago, he had been able to hear Jenna's shouts in the distance, and from the sounds of the other voices, it was Garet she was mad at. He hadn't felt much like playing, not since when a guard had first tossed the minute instrument carelessly to him, but he wanted to hear his friends arguing even less. And so, unable to make any other noise, he picked up the small recorder, and let it talk for him.

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It seemed as though the entire town had turned out for the trial of an Adept. Even if none would be allowed inside the Sanctum, the location of where the trial was to be held, they didn't miss the chance to make it known they were there. Mayor Jerra, Madra's Elder, the Great Healer, Jenna and Felix's family, and Garet's father were already inside the doors, but Garet had insisted on waiting outside on the steps for now. He would regret that decision shortly, just as he would soon regret several other decisions.

Silence swept over the gathered crowd as all eyes turned towards the prison, and a path started to part. Garet noticed that many tightened their grip on whatever they had brought with them: curious children, food items fit for the trash, pitchforks, clubs, and rakes, to name a few. This isn't a crowd, Garet thought to himself. This is a mob.

Isaac's hands were bound tight behind him with a course rope. Another two ropes were tied to his booted ankles, each manned by a guard incase he should try to run. A final rope was tied like a noose around his neck, and was carried by a third guard to lead the Adept along, but he made no signs of complaint. In fact, with eyes downcast and unmoving, he showed no signs of recognition at all. Isaac cringed only twice: once as he stepped from the darkness into the light, and again when the first stone hit his arm. As Isaac passed, the small boy that had thrown it quickly hid behind his mother's skirts. From there, the angry noise only grew, and no one paid any notice to the whistle that fell out of his pocket. He noticed, though. Closing his eyes, resigning himself to whatever awaited him next, Isaac could hear the snap of the whistle breaking as it was trampled over.

"Cut it out! How can you do this to him?" shouted Jenna, emerging with her brother shortly behind Isaac's procession. Her and Felix's hands were tied in front of them, but, aside from personal guards leading them by the arms, they weren't restrained in all the other methods, and no one wasted their arsenal on either sibling. Felix, meanwhile, said nothing, not even as he cast a passing glance at Garet. Words weren't needed to show the older boy's disappointment, though. Garet looked away and said nothing in return as he followed everyone inside. He could already feel a part of him dying.

Inside the Sanctum's main chamber, the Great Healer took his place at the podium, Mayor Jerra and Madra's elder sitting behind and to his side. It would be a poor excuse for a trial. It was clear what decision would be reached, even before anyone could take a seat on the chairs and benches that had been brought in. Once everyone was settled, Mayor Jerra started to question Isaac. There was a problem, though: the last time any of the adults had seen Isaac, he hadn't become a mute yet. After a long minute or two without any response from the Adept, not even a nod of the head or glance up, the frustrated mayor seemed ready to end the trial. Garet held his breath as his grandfather started to declare a sentence.

"Wait!" Jenna jumped up, even with her guard trying to force her to sit again. "He can't talk! He lost his voice after you kicked him out!"

"Nonsense." Mayor Jerra raised his voice to be heard over her. "The boy could talk perfectly fine before. Let him speak for himself now."

"But he can't! Sir, he _can't_ talk!"

"This is an Adept who can likely heal himself, Jenna. Of course he can talk."

"Being an Adept hasn't got anything to with it. He still can't talk."

"That is enough."

"He might've been just fine if you'd listened to the Healer in the first place!"

"Silence!"

"Just because Isaac can do something you can't, doesn't mean he can also do everything you can!"

"Take her away!"

The guard assigned to Jenna started to pull her away roughly when another voice spoke up. "She's right." All eyes, including Isaac's, turned to where the rest of the Jerras sat.

"Garet, don't!" Kay begged under her breath, but Garet, sitting with his arms crossed and eyes fixed on the floor some distance in front of him, ignored her.

"Isaac can't speak. The floods ruined his throat, and he lost the rest of his voice after he was sent away." There was an awkward silence, and with his eyes diverted, Garet couldn't see the small he was receiving from the Adept. This wasn't a smile of amusement, either. It was heartfelt, but somewhat surprised, gratitude.

Trying to hide his annoyance, Mayor Jerra asked, "Do you have something you would like to share, Garet?" Garet looked to where his grandfather stood, then to where his former friends sat, Isaac looking on with fading hope, and back again. His words faltered as he tried stuttering, "no," but he was cut off when Jenna's mother stood.

"Of course he has something to say." She glared at Garet like scum on her shoe, before addressing the mayor again. "He was there when you had my children arrested. He knew about that thing just as much as my children did. If they're guilty of anything, you know he's just as much so! Why aren't his hands tied with theirs?"

Mayor Jerra raised a hand for silence, except the rest of the family joined in and ignored him. Aaron, who was watching everything through a side door that was cracked open, waited with bated breath. He'd never seen anyone disrespect his grandpa so, or so much as raise their voice against him. There was one person who knew the boy was there, however.

As the accusations against the mayor began to build, including favoritism and corruption, the Great Healer stood and politely took the mayor's place. The family surprisingly quieted when the Healer gently motioned with both palms downward for them to sit. "I understand your frustrations, and that the treatment of one's child, or in this case, children, is a very serious issue for caring parents and guardians, but please be assured that all will be treated in the fairest extent possible throughout all of this." Amazingly, that did the trick, giving young Aaron an even greater impression of awe towards his favored teacher. The Great Healer thanked the family, and, on his way to his seat, briefly nodded his head towards the cracked doorway. Aaron stiffened, realizing he'd been found out, but breathed a quiet sigh of relief when the Healer sat silently and said nothing of it. The boy couldn't have been more grateful if he tried.

The mayor cleared his throat as he took his place again. Garet risked an uncertain glance to Isaac, but it wasn't returned. Isaac's mind was elsewhere. Something didn't feel right to the Adept, and it wasn't what was happening in the Sanctum. Mentally shrugging it off, he tried listening to what Mayor Jerra was saying. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, there was a rustling sound as something large moved through the forest underbrush; something that hadn't been seen since before the mural in the Jerra house had been painted.

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Ta-da! Thus ends chapter 6, with yet another cliffy of sorts (sorry, couldn't resist), and with only about 3 or 4 chapters left. I don't know how it happened, but this chapter somehow became a lot more depressing than ever was intended when the first chapter was posted. Might get a little darker before the end, too, depending on what final outcome I decide on. Spoilers? Here's one I'm willing to release: something happens. Now, aren't you upset that you went and ruined it for yourself?

Some clarification on this chapter: A "recorder" is a musical instrument similar to the flute. So, no, Isaac didn't whip out an electronic sound device during this chapter, for anyone who was wondering. I used to have a cheap one that I learned to play back in elementary school, but I lost it somewhere in all the moving boxes when my mom changed houses a few years later.

Oh, and here's an interesting little add on to this chapter: For those who haven't lost or gotten rid of their GS:TLA game over the last 4 years, go into the Link Lobby like you would for a normal linked battle, and hold down the L button as you talk with the girl in the bottom left corner. When she asks if you have a song request, scroll to #11 and press the A button to confirm. And there you have it: the basic idea of the kind of music Isaac was playing. n.n Or, for those who dared the heresy known as letting the game go (How could you? Think of the children!), you might still be able to find the download links through the Golden Sun Realm website.

Until next time (hopefully way less than another year)!


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